When All is Said and Done
by WildWelshWitch
Summary: When Jack dies for the final time, he finds that it doesn't simply 'go black', there's a familiar face waiting. Happens outside of Fade to Grey. Mild JackxOFC but not a lot.


"It's about bloody time!" a familiar voice playfully chastised him, "20,0000 years is a long time to make a girl wait, FOB…or can I start calling you Jack again?"

'Jack' blinked…and realised that he was in a grey place of mist, then realised that he was standing for the first time in he'd forgotten how long.

Fingers…

Fingers were nice to have again.

"You look good," Rio smiled in good humour, the first and last time she'd ever done that during her reaping career; "the 'jar of fluid' look was nice too mind, but I always liked you this way best

He stared at her, this was a big change, though then again, he supposed his soul had taken a form his mind had preferred.

Looking at his old friend, he said the first thing that popped into his head, which was:

"I thought that you were supposed to have retired 19,9940 years ago..."

"I thought you'd appreciate a familiar face for this. Besides, you know I've always had a soft spot for you."

Rio hadn't changed…except that she was now wearing what appeared to be an elfin dress, in her preferred colours of black and purple of course, and no longer had the markers beneath her eyes.

"So... you're an elf now? Are you still with Lord Stressy of the Library?"

"Two children, six grandchildren, thirteen grandchildren and more years of 'living in sin' with the man than I want to remember," she nodded in satisfaction "And no, I'm not an elf, I just like this dress. It was my last 'death day' present from 'Lord Stressy' as you called him"

She did a small twirl to show off the dress; like the old black shirt with purple sleeves she'd worn a long time ago, it suited her.

And suddenly Rio was brandishing her katana.

"You ready for this?" she asked kindly, they'd been through this so many times. So near, and yet so far, and now…

"Does that mean the council STILL won't let you marry him? And that guy is OLD...." Jack managed to go serious for a moment as her words sank through his mind; it had been the only thing he'd been able to make use of through those last few millennia, now that he was in his old form though, it was somehow even easier to think.

"You know, I almost never expected this day to come, but now…now... I think I've lived long enough."

She nodded to him, "It won't hurt a bit" there was a slight noise as her katana cut the air and then…he felt free.

"All done"

"Azriel's not going to try and recruit me now, is he?"

"Do you want him to?" she asked, putting away her sword into its sheath.

"I've had a lot of adventures already. But I've also had a lot of being in a jar...I think... I think I just want to dissolve."

"You can do that if you want, can't dictate to you how you leave this plane, it'd be a shame to just dissolve though," she paused thoughtfully then said, "if you see my brother…tell him I'm sorry for making him wait this long?"

"What do you mean?"

"I made another deal with the boss. I'm not going to Heaven. Not yet"

"But you paid off all your time! You're home free" he honestly couldn't understand why she wouldn't leave the instant her debt to The Powers That Be was paid off.

"I'm not going without Ellandanen. It changed"

"What changed?"

"My perception of Heaven. When I took the reaping job, my idea of Heaven was to be with my family again, my mama, papa and Janeiro, the four of us all together as a family again. I wanted it so badly. Now though…now I can't imagine it being heaven without my heart there, and my heart's in Avalon's library with his books and his daily mugs."

"That's because you have a family here now. An extended one."

"Yeah, I suppose," she smiled, "I include you in that, you know. I even know your real name…it's been a long time coming, hey James?"

Jack smiled slightly at the use of his birth-given name, it felt nice to hear it again but… "I've had time enough."

"There's people waiting for you," for the first time, Rio's smile turned slightly sad,

"Grant me a request before you go?"

"What's the request?"

"Give me a patented 'Jack Harkness' kiss before you shuffle off?" she blushed in embarrassment

"Will 'Danen mind?"

"I asked him. He said, and I quote: "as long as he keeps his hands off anything below your shoulders, go ahead."

"'Danen has mellowed in his old... older... well, he was old when I first met him, age."

She nodded gently; "I'm also on the proviso that I come home…nice to know he's still a little possessive" she looked at him appealingly

"Alright then..."

Very gently he raised her chin and softly kissed her, closing his eyes and allowing himself to get lost in it, without going over the top. She still smelt of rain, leaf mould, damp moss and fresh turned earth, in its own way it was comforting and familiar in this grey nowhere.

One could say this of the kiss: it was nice.

It wasn't a kiss for the history books, no great passion or a burning lust came of it, they didn't love each other in that way after all, but there was an acute sense of affection borne of more years than either of them cared to count, and there was love of a kind.

"Thank you," she said softly when they parted, "I am going to miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too…sure I can't convince you to run off with me?"

"You couldn't manage it over twenty thousand years, it's not going to happen now. Really, it's not even 'goodbye', it's just you getting to the party before me"

They smiled at each other briefly

"So…what do I do now?"

"If you just want to dissolve, that can happen…but you may want to turn around and greet the people who've been waiting for you first," she pointed over his shoulder; he turned and could just make out a light and two figures

"You know that I love you, Jack" Rio murmured softly into his ear as he stood watching the figures and light grow with fascinating, the two figures becoming clearer with each passing moment, "consider this a farewell gift. You made my afterlife…interesting." She kissed his cheek gently and then she was gone and the two figures were before him.

One he hadn't seen in over 20,000 years

"Ianto…"

The other for even longer…

"Dad!"

The light…that beautiful he'd waited to see for so long enveloped the three of them, filling Jack with warmth and an inexplicable feeling…

There was only one way it could be described…

…He was finally where he wanted to be.


End file.
